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Goodbye Thursday, hello Friday morning … and hello three more days until medical school starts. And while I typically/flippantly answer one of three ways* when people ask me if I’m nervous, or excited, it is actually something I’ve given some thought to. To which I’ve given some thought, dangling prepositions aside. The Impending Life Change.

I peeked at the class list for the upcoming term, and SUNY Downstate will be keeping us busy. Starting from genes to cells, moving up to organ systems, delving into A&P, the usual suspects. I have a feeling my brain will be a bit sore from the stuffing it’s about to receive, but I am looking forward to it. During my post-bacc at Hunter, I was working full-time for the former employer, taking classes and labs at night, volunteering at PSVAC and taking the occasional EMS shift at Lutheran. These days I’ll be able to focus, erm, 100% on school. And another few percentage points for nights and weekends at Lutheran, but hey, I can study on the bus, right?!?

So scared, no, nervous, no, I’m pretty invincible. It’s nice to be invincible again, beats being invisible. Concerned about taking out the equivalent of my entire mortgage again in loans, and frustrated about hoop-jumping for paperwork related to getting in the doors of Higher Learning, but everything’s manageable. Excited, too, about taking the next big step on my new career/life path. Heck, it’s even got me blogging again. I also find comfort in various furry and unfurred noodles who seem to believe in me and abilities mine.

Expect more updates soon. This coming week is orientation, and on 24 August … the floodgates of knowledge open to me!

* Friends, family, strangers on the bus, when they find out they ask me: “Medical school? Are you scared? Are you excited? Are you ready?” My top three responses, then, are:

• “Eep.”
• “Nah.”
• Actually, it’s only the two. I’ll have to think of a third. I’ve pretty much just been focusing on enjoying my Last Summer of Freedom and Working to Save Money, and haven’t focused too much on teh quipzes.

Just a quick update tonight, I’ve got to head into the city to pick up Michela. Shh. Illicit blogging!

So last week was the Park Slope Volunteer Ambulance Corps’ annual fundraiser dinner … where all the EMTs and officers dressed up and thanked all of the wonderful people who support us, financially and otherwise. Everyone is amazing, we’re very luck to get such great support. Plus, we held our raffle … and a local girl’s father won the 42″ HDTV! I hope he lets her keep it:

She’s very excited. Clickly linky above for picture set.

And yes, of course, I can’t forget last weekend’s überAWESOME NIN/JA tour concert! Michela and I went down to Philly for this, we went with Jeff and Cyn … the show was as good as I’d expected it to be, better even, since I’d never seen Jane’s Addiction live before. Perry, sure, all the time, but not JA. And They did. Not. Disappoint. Pictures? Sure, click here!

Deep fried, of course.

This year’s Hunter College Pre-Health Post-Bacc club End-of-Year party was something else. No bar, no skee-ball, no me cooking everything … our very own Derrick hosted, and he hosted a Fry Party. Basically, we all brought what we wanted to see put into boiling hot oil, and he did the honors.

In no particular order, we had: Jamaican beef patties (yum), pickles, okra (cool), pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, a big cupcake from Crumbs (effing awesome), a breadbowl pasta deal from Domino’s, Twix bars (the tastiest), Reese’s peanut butter cups (not bad) … and more. All deep-fried and served up hot, of course. Michela and I didn’t stay for the whole thing; I’m sure someone put John’s playlist in there before the night was over. =P

Oh yeah. Then there’s the sweatshirt (see left). See, people were hatin’ John’s playlist a bit, and Derrick convinced John that he could remain in charge of the music as long as he wore this big kitteh sweatshirt. Now, I’m not judging, but (a) John looked super-cute in this, and (b) I have to question why Derrick owns this particular article of clothing.

So a super fun night, and as this may have been my last chance to hang with some of these post-bacc kids, some good memories. Have a great summer everyone, and good luck getting in when it’s your turn! All of the pics (including plenty more with the kitteh shirt) are up here.

I’m a big fan of this one:

Some new photos are up on Flickr! I should get some of them up on Facebook soon, as well.

First off, last night we had a wee photo shoot for the Park Slope Volunteer Ambulance Corps. We took over Pritchard Square in the ‘Slope for about an hour as the daylight waned, with a pro photog and everything (thanks, Howard). He has the money shots, but I just took some snaps of us having fun during the process.

Then, there’s lots of love for Jess Furman. She came back to NYC for a show on April 7 at Rockwood Music Hall on the Lower East Side … she rocked, of course, and we packet the place. Take a peek at the pics here!

The DC trip was a rousing success. Michela and I drove down Thursday afternoon through hardly any traffic, and had a fun chill evening with Josh, who played way too many Paramore videos for us. Then it was up early, drop the MCATeer off at the med library, and sit in a wee glass room and wait for the interview fun to begin. The tour was a joke — I’m spoiled as I spent many years on campus — but the people we met, particularly Donna Sullivan, were fantastic. I got a great picture of what medical school at GU would be like. Plus, the interview was laid back and fun, and the weater was gorgeous. It was so nice to be back in Georgetown …

After that, it was a big ol’ BBQ dinner in Arlington with the Spenners, the Tants, the Stroineys, the Palmas, a Bueno, a Newman, a Canary, a Shnek and a Williams, and a Tom and some Rob and Marissa. Poor Michela, stuffed into a back room with 17 years of my history. She did well, though Mindi had cougar claws on for some reason.

Some more quality time with Josh, and then it was up early for a nice walking tour of the Mall. Michela had never been to DC, so the proper thing was to play host. Of course, there are so many new things there (the WWII memorial, the Korean War memorial) that I was quite excited as well. The pics are pretty good. Then, a traffic-free scoot back up to NYC and Bob’s your uncle, back home.

Now that you’ve heard about it, go check out the pictures!

And then, on Monday, I got to meet the foster kittens. Four of the sweetest wee things on the planet. And I get to visit and rile them up and then leave so they keep their foster mommy up all night. Sweet! I only wish they’d stay kittens for longer …

… since I figure that even though I’m going down to DC today for a few-day trip, there’s a ton of snow down there and the trees are shy. Still, it may be warm on Saturday, so there’s hope. Haven’t been showered with pink petals in years.

Why DC? Well, tomorrow I’ve got an interview at the Georgetown Universty School of Medicine. It’s my alma mater, I was there seom ‘91 to ‘95, so I figure I definitely want to talk to them. Plus, Joe’s family was so helpful during the application process … thanks Joe! 

Another reason? Michela’s never been to DC, and she can visit some friends and tour museums (of which she’s fond) while I tour the hospital and get grilled in my monkey suit. Plus, it’s high time she met some of the Bardonians and Ducksters.

We’re leaving in a few hours, wish us safe travels … and I should have pics posted up when we get back! If you’re in the area, we’re doing a dinner reunion thing at Tallula’s in Arlington on Friday, around 6:30p. Come on by!

So, yeah, the other thing I wanted to talk about tonight.

I work part time as an EMT here in Brooklyn. No secrets or big revelations there. Most of the time, we’re just shuttling folks to the hospital. Not to downplay what we do, but let’s face it, not every job is of the “Third Watch” or “ER” or “Saved” variety. Sometimes, though, I encounter jobs — people — that make me step back and think about some bigger-picture things.

Tonight, for instance, I had two jobs back to back. In the second, I actually got to watch as the patient whom I had been ventilating came backfully  from respiratory arrest after the medics administered Narcan. No 911 call, no us, no medics, no way that patient would have been alive longer than a few minutes. So we helped turn a life around — or, well, we helped it continue where it may not have continued much longer at all.

The earlier call, though … two folks had been eating an early supper, and with no warning, one of them collapsed. We worked with the medics again, who were able to use a pacing wire to keep the patient’s heart beating at a life-sustaining rhythm, but I the outcome here wasn’t quite as positive as the other job had been.

Imagine, then, if you’re just out to brunch with your spouse or lover … and they just go. Sure, healthcare providers can try for the save, but sometimes, it’s that person’s time and there’s nothing we can do. Your special person is gone and while you were just living a normal day with him or her, eating your eggs and bacon, or maybe some pancakes, you have no idea that 5 minutes from then he or she would be gone. Did you say everything you wanted to? Does he or she know how you feel?

Maybe I’m hung up a bit, but that image is really sticking with me. One minute there, the next gone. I don’t want to live a life full of unsaids and I-hope-they-know’s.

Or, maybe it’s just very late and I’m tired. Hmm. Off to bed.

Today I woke up at a normal-human hour (after getting bed a non-laid-off-person hour, a rare event) and zipped out to Old Westbury on Long Island. I met Annimal at a Starbucks and we got some lunch at a fancy supermarket, then drove in to NYCOM. This is one of the schools to which I’ve applied, and it’s a DO school, so there are some differences between what I would be learning here versus, say, SUNY Downstate (an allopathic or MD school). 

In any case, NYCOM has a pilot problem-based learning program called the Doctor Patient Continuum. Annimal is in this program, and basically, the students do not go to the “regular” medical lectures (outside of the Anatomy bits and the Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine bits) … they get a patient case, take a mock history or interview, an decide what to study based on that case, in the group. It sounds great on paper and is even better in person. Ann had finagled an opportunity for me to come in and attend a DPC session with the 2nd-year DO students – thanks Ann!!!

When I walked into the classroom I was introduced to the group, and then sat in a corner to observe quietly. They were finishing up a neuro case that had lasted 5 sessions or so, so while I was able to follow a bit of what was going on, the depths of the anatomy and pathology were above my currently level of understanding. So of– course, one of the two doctors supervising the group asks me to answer the first of several questions that the group was using to review the material!

The question was about which other nerves provide positive feedback to the Purkinje cells in the cerebellar cortex. Luckily, the group (7 students) had some slides up on the screen at the start, with the anatomy of some of the cellular-level goings-on, and I had devoured them with interest, so I was able to discount some of the answers, clarify which ones I had no clue on, and correctly went with the climbing fibers. The docs told me they’d take me in the program.

After that they closed out their questions (excellent prep for the upcoming boards), and went on to a new case: a 55-year old man presenting with “bone pain” and recent acute epistaxis (nose bleeds). It was interesting to watch oen student acting as a doctor, taking the history from the “patient” (another student who had the Hx and exam information), and the rest of the class quickly jumping in after the initial history was completed. They went on to a differential diagnosis, created- a comprehensive list of tests they would require, and decided what they would study for the next session. A great, organic approach to learning that would — once everyone went home, studied, and presented the material to the group, and discussed — provide each with a solid understanding of the anatomy and pathology in question.

Afterwards I met with the program coordinator, Dr Elkowitz, and talked about the session and the DPC program in general. He walked me through the applicaiton process, and I’m very much looking forward to the interview and orientation next week!

So yeah, a fun Friday.

Now I sit here in the medical library, waiting for Ann to complete her DPC session, then we’ll go get some dinner!

So, welcome to the new site, same as the old site. Okay, not really. It’s taken me some serious time, but I’ve finally wrangled the new web hosting for the site, so I can actually switch my broadband providers to save some ca$h in advance of med school. I’m currently paying over $100 a month for internets, which is just silly. So step 1, get the website up, step 2, migrate all the old posts over, step 3, bring over the notes and such … all should be operational before too long.

So Hunter students, despair not, notes are a-comin’ back atchya.

Good news! I found out that my old Thinkfree account is alive and well, and the docs I had uploaded there are still there. The URLs have all changed, but, well, what does this all mean to you? If you’re a Bio or Chem student, this means the notes which weren’t there for a while — they’re back! Right now I’ve updated the links for Fall 06 Bio … Chem is next, and I’ll roll through by semester. Good luck with finals!